The Christian Observer, the Presbyterian and Reformed journal of record since 1813, debuted as an Internet-based web publication on Reformation Day 2008.

In honor of the now 196-year-old publication’s one year anniversary on Reformation Day, 31 October 2009, a tribute to long-time Christian Observer Publisher the Rev. Dr. Edwin P. Elliott Jr. was published, which includes excerpts from several of the many touching tributes and testimonies to Edwin received since his temporal death and eternal homegoing on 11 October 2009.

Additionally, a weekly study of the Westminster Shorter Catechism (WSC), based on Assistant Editor Dr. Robert LaMay’s book Disciple the Teacher and Student (available from lulu.com/observer) began 31 October with publication of the Introduction and Contents, and the first of 107 weekly WSC studies debuts today, 4 November 2009, for WSC Question 1 – “Glorify and Enjoy God.”

For November 2009, Contributing Editor Dr. Joe Renfro’s article “Legislated Obedience?” discusses the effects of government control of schools, including the concepts of “No Child Left Behind,” and “Zero Tolerance.”

The pastor of the Old Dutch Church (ODC) in Sleepy Hollow, New York, cancelled a wedding at the church scheduled at the church for 31 October 2009 and offered the couple a refund of the church deposit after the couple sent in a request for wedding music including theme music from the television shows "The Addams Family" and "The Munsters."

ODC pastor the Rev. Jeff Gargano disallowed the requested music for the wedding originally scheduled to be in the historic church built in 1694. Gargano additionally disallowed the couple’s plans for the bride to wear a black cocktail dress with a black veil and carry a flower bouquet adorned with miniature skulls, and for the groom to wear dark slacks, a pirate shirt and a top hat.

Former NG Sendingkerk minister and current Anglican Church of South Africa bishop of False Bay, South Africa, Merwyn Castle, in an open letter to rector Russel Botman of Stellenbosch University (SU) in Matieland, South Africa, urges SU to appoint a non-Reformed person to the position of theology dean. Current theology dean Elan Mouton is from a Reformed background, and her term as theology dean completes at the end of 2009. SU has historical links to the Dutch Reformed Church.Castle writes: "If you appoint another Reformed candidate, the ethos that needs profound change will just continue in its old myopic way reluctantly serving the confessional needs of only one tradition," reminds Botman that black theological students in South African mainline churches had suffered relative deprivation in the past, asserts that Reformed schools of theology are already plentiful in South Africa, and says that Lutheran, Anglican, Congregational, Methodist, Moravian and Roman Catholic churches have historically had to train their clergy in their own colleges outside the university system.

In a 26 October 2009 article in Maclean’s, titled “Second-Rate Citizens: Discrimination of Slovakia’s Hungarian Minority is on the Rise,” writer Anne Porter opens with the story of a student in Nitra, Slovakia, who was beaten and robbed for speaking Hungarian on her cell phone, and was then further abused by Slovakian authorities who accused the student of making up the incident and inflicting injuries upon herself, and was later indicted for perjury. Porter presents the student’s story as a good illustration of how ethnic Hungarians that live in Slovakiaare treated poorly by some in the Slovakian majority and by government officials.

Porter relates how the winners of recent Slovakian national political campaigns have made open attacks on the Hungarian minority a common part of their campaign strategies, and how political leader Ján Slota calls Hungarians bandy-legged marauders, and how in one speech Slota incited Slovaks to “get in tanks and level Budapest, [Hungary].”

Pro-Life activists of the "Abortion is Not Healthcare" campaign on 31 October 2009 lay down and formed a giant “71” on the White House lawn representing the seventy-one percent of Americans opposed to taxpayer funded abortions in healthcare.

Christian Defense Coalition Director and Reformed Presbyterian minister the Rev. Pat Mahoney commented: “…we are coming to the front of the White House to call upon President Obama to affirm human rights and ensure that taxpayer funds are not used to pay for or subsidize abortion. Healthcare should focus on healing, compassion, and mercy, not the killing of innocent children and the diminishing of women. As we lay our lives down on the street in front of the White House, we are first reminding the President to listen to the wisdom of the American people who overwhelmingly oppose public monies being used to pay for abortions in healthcare. We are also being a prophetic witness that as people of faith we are willing to lay down our lives to embrace the heart of Christ and social justice and passionately work to ensure that all human life is honored and protected. We will not be silent. We will not be indifferent. We will sacrifice to end abortion."+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com+ Christian Defense Coalition, Post Office Box 77168, Washington DC 20013, 202-547-1735, ChristianDefense@gmail.com

Bryan, Texas, Planned Parenthood Director Abby Johnson viewed an ultrasound of an abortion, and was soon sitting at her desk, crying, and realizing that she could no longer work where unborn children were being killed. While wondering where to go, she looked out her office window across the street to the Coalition for Life (CFL) office where people were outside praying. Johnson got into her car, drove to the CFL office, and crying, introduced herself and told the surprised CFL people what had happened.

Johnson is currently making the rounds of national media interviews, explaining why she is now a pro-life supporter.

A video placed on YouTube in March 2008 by Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life that uses fetal models and actual abortion instruments to depict a suction abortion has surpassed one million viewings.

Pavone comments: "This is a reason to rejoice, because one of the biggest problems we have regarding abortion is that it's hidden. Thanks to videos like this, people who think they are pro-choice become fervently pro-life. We receive testimonies literally every day about such conversions. We invite others to spread these videos."

Noor Faleh Almaleki, 20, died after two weeks in a coma, after on 20 October 2009, being run down by her father Faleh Hassan Almaleki, 48, while walking across the parking lot of a shopping center in Peoria, Arizona with Noor’s boyfriend’s mother, who was also hit by the car.

The father fled as far as Great Britain before being returned to the Atlanta, Georgia airport the weekend of 31 October 2009, where he was arrested. Almaleki allegedly ran over Noor because she had become too “westernized.”

First Prize of US$3000 plus fifteen books to Savannah Parker of Greentown, Indiana, for her essay "The Enemy is Within the Gates;" Second Prize of US$2000 plus ten books to Marisa Kobilan of Washougal, Washington, for her essay "The Sword of the Spirit; and Third Prize of US$1000 will be split between Patrick Arnold of Ann Arbor, Michigan, for his essay "In Defense of Revelation," and Ryan Hedrich of Lawrenceville, Georgia, for his essay “Speculations Hammered: The Word of Truth, Asserted and Vindicated.” Both will receive five books.

In addition to a new design, the website now includes new content and many new features. All past issues of the WRS Journal are available, indexed by author and totally searchable. The seminary also has posted all its course syllabi for public use, including class notes for the entire Bible, theology, and church history curriculum. The seminary’s Catalog, handbooks, and student enrollment forms are available online. The audio section includes all of the Ronald W. Taber Lecture Series in addition to various other conference lectures. A popular feature is a Bible Reading Plan, which divides the Bible into daily readings of similar length, arranged chronologically.

Because of the total redesign, the web addresses of most pages have changed. The best way to reach all the pages is through the home page, www.wrs.edu. For more information, please contact the WRS office, information@wrs.edu, or call 253-272-0417.”